Preferences for Various Learning Environments: Teachers' and Parents' Perceptions

In the last ten years, a number of innovations, mainly inspired by constructivist notions of learning, have been introduced at various levels of the Dutch educational system. However, constructivist learning environments are rarely implemented. Teachers tend to stick to expository and structured learning environments. This consistent finding requires research in order to gain insight into teachers' preferences for learning environments and to determine the factors that support and impede the realization of these learning environments. Regarding the influence of social backgrounds on student learning, is it also important to take stock of parental views on learning environments.This study is focused on teachers' preferences for learning environments, their reported teaching behavior, and how these match with parents' preferences. Three parallel questionnaires were developed for teachers (n = 285), students (n = 951), and parents (n = 636) to measure preferences and behavior at different levels of education, for three types of learning environments: direct instruction; discovery learning; and authentic pedagogy. The results show that teachers often prefer direct instruction, and seldom promote discovery learning. While teachers sometimes realize authentic pedagogy, constructive learning tasks are seldom used. Teachers' reported practice and parents' preferences for their children appear to correspond reasonably.Results of multiple regression analyses show that the use of the three types of learning environments yield different predictors. For the use of discovery learning and authentic pedagogy, confidence in students' regulative skills is an important predictor. In predicting the use of direct instruction, the teacher's own conception of learning turns out to be an important predictor.     

Benefits of multisensory structured language instruction for at-risk foreign language learners: A comparison study of high school Spanish students

In this study, the benefits of multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction in Spanish were examined. Participants were students in high-school-level Spanish attending girls’ preparatory schools. Of the 55 participants, 39 qualified as at-risk for foreign language learning difficulties and 16 were deemed not-at-risk. The at-risk students were assigned to one of three conditions: (1) MSL—multisensory Spanish instruction in self-contained classrooms (n=14); (2) SC—traditional Spanish instruction provided in self-contained classrooms (n=11); and (3) NSC—traditional Spanish instruction in regular (not self-contained) Spanish classes (n=14). Not-at-risk students (n=16) received traditional Spanish instruction in regular classes similar to the instruction provided to the NSC group. All three at-risk groups made significant gains over time on some native language skills regardless of teaching method. The MSL group also made significant gains on a foreign language aptitude measure. The MSL group and the not-at-risk group made greater gains than the two other at-risk groups on foreign language aptitude and native language measures of reading comprehension, word recognition, and pseudoword reading. Although most at-risk learners achieved an “expected” level of foreign language proficiency after two years of instruction, significant group differences were found. On measures of oral and written foreign language proficiency, the MSL and not-at-risk groups scored significantly higher than the at-risk groups instructed using traditional methods. After two years of Spanish instruction, no differences in foreign language proficiency were found between the MSL group and the not-at-risk group.     

Making sense of graphs: does metacognitive instruction make a difference on students' mathematical conceptions and alternative conceptions?

The present study investigates the differential effects of cooperative learning with or without metacognitive instruction on making sense of graphs. Participants were 196 eighth-graders who studied in six classrooms. Data were analyzed by using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results indicated that students who were exposed to the metacognitive instruction within cooperative learning (COOP + META) significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to cooperative learning with no metacognitive instruction (COOP). The positive effects of COOP + META were observed on both graph interpretation and graph construction (transfer task) with regard to alternative conceptions. Furthermore, observations indicated differential characteristics of discourse behaviors during small group interaction under these methods. The practical implications of the study are discussed.     

Introducing grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs): exploring rate and complexity in phonics instruction for kindergarteners with limited literacy skills

Two experiments explored rates for introducing grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) and the types of correspondences taught for optimal alphabet and early literacy skills learning. In both studies, children entered with minimal alphabet knowledge and were randomly assigned within classrooms to one of two treatments delivered individually over 5 weeks. In Study 1, children grades K-1 were assigned to instruction in a set of either 10 (Slow rate, n?=?33) or 15 (Fast rate, n?=?32) single- and two-letter GPCs. Study 1 findings indicated that children who learned five added GPCs did not reduce learning of the common set of 10 learned GPCs for any measure (including letter names, sounds, letter sound writing, word reading, and spelling), and learning favored Fast items over Slow for letter sounds, letter sound writing, and word reading (median d?=?0.30). In Study 2, kindergarteners were assigned to instruction in either single letters only (Single, n?=?30) or mixed-size GPCs (Mixed, n?=?31). Instruction included application of GPCs to decoding and spelling. Results showed that kindergarteners in the Mixed condition made significantly greater gains learning the four two-letter GPCs across measures (median d?=?0.86), and no significant differences between groups on measures of the 11 one-letter GPCs common to both conditions. Findings add precision to understanding how rate and order of introducing GPCs influence children’s initial alphabet learning. Further study of empirically validated methods of alphabet instruction may benefit in particular those children most at risk for acquiring this foundational knowledge.

     

Young children's combinatoric strategies

Children aged between 4 years 6 months and 9 years 10 months were individually administered a series of novel tasks involving the formation of different combinations of two items, selected from discrete sets of items. An analysis of the children's performance revealed a series of six, increasingly sophisticated, solution strategies ranging from a random selection of items through to a systematic pattern in item choice (cf. Piaget and Inhelder's, 1975, combinatoric operations). A significant number of children independently adopted more efficient solution procedures as they progressed on the tasks, with many displaying an algorithmic procedure reflecting the odometer strategy (holding one item constant while systematically varying each of the other items). Given that children as young as 7 years demonstrated this systematic strategy, it would appear that, within the appropriate learning environment, young children can discover a procedure for forming n x n combinations prior to the stage of formal operations postulated by Piaget and Inhelder. The findings support the inclusion of the combinatorial domain as a topic of investigation in the elementary school curriculum.     

Links between early oral narrative and decoding skills and later reading in a New Zealand sample*

Abstract

We examined earlier oral narrative and decoding and later reading in two samples spanning the first four years of reading instruction. The Year 1 sample (n = 44) was initially assessed after one year of instruction (M = 6; 1 years) and followed through their third year (M = 8; 1 years); the Year 2 sample (n = 34) assessed after two years of instruction (M = 7; 0 years) and followed to their fourth year (M = 9; 0 years). Oral narrative and decoding were assessed initially, oral reading, retell, and maze fluency, plus reading age, obtained at outcome. For the Year 2 sample, oral narrative and decoding contributed to oral reading and comprehension two years later. For the Year 1 sample, decoding contributed to most reading outcomes, with narrative quality uniquely predicting Year 3 retell fluency. Post-hoc exploratory analyses suggest story memory indirectly contributed to Year 3 reading via Year 2 retell.     

Preschool Teachers' Sense of Community,Instructional Quality,and Children's Language and Literacy Gains

Research Findings: This study investigated relations among preschool teachers' (n = 75) sense of community, classroom language and literacy instructional quality, and children's (n = 398) gains in vocabulary and print concept knowledge during an academic year. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) results indicated that teachers' language and literacy instructional quality significantly predicted children's gains in print concept knowledge. Also, HLM results revealed significant interactions among teachers' sense of community, language and literacy instructional quality, and vocabulary and print concept knowledge gains. Higher levels of teachers' sense of community were associated with greater gains in children's vocabulary and print concept knowledge when children were in classrooms with higher quality language and literacy instruction. Practice or Policy: Findings underscore the importance of evaluating both language and literacy instructional quality and teachers' sense of community when considering high-quality preschool education.     

On sums of powers of integers

For non-negative integers k, n, let P _k (n) denote the sum {fx27-1}. We show by two different means that if k ≥ 3 and odd, then n ²(n+1)² iss a factor of the polynomial P _k (n); and if k ≥ 2 and even, then n (n+1) (2n+1) is a factor of the polynomial P _k (n). We also derive a relatively unknown result first obtained by Johann Faulhaber in the 17th century. Shailesh Shirali has been at Rishi Valley School, Andhra Pradesh (Krishnamurti Foundation India) since the 1980’s. He has a deep interest in teaching and writing about mathematics at the high school/post school levels, with particular emphasis on problem solving and on historical aspects of the subject. He has been involved in the Mathematics Olympiad movement at the national and international level for the past two decades. He is the author of several expository books and articles aimed at interested high school students.     

Mathematical thinking intervention programmes for preschool children with normal and low number sense

This study investigated the possibility of enhancing the level of preschoolers’ number sense by introducing two intervention programmes, Let’s think! and Young children with special educational needs count, too! .Forty‐five preschoolers, mean age 66.4 months, were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction twice a week, for half an hour, and for a period of nine months. Pretest–postest comparison revealed that the experimental group showed enhanced number‐sense performance immediately after the instruction ended, but the between‐group difference faded after six months. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in general mathematical thinking abilities (transfer tasks) after the intervention.     

Preservice Teachers' Use of the Technology Integration Planning Cycle to Integrate iPads Into Literacy Instruction

The purpose of this case study was to examine preservice teachers' use of the Technology Integration Planning Cycle (TIPC; Hutchison & Woodward, 2014 Hutchison, A., & Woodward, L. (2014). A planning cycle for integrating technology into literacy instruction. Reading Teacher, 67(6), 455–464. doi:10.1002/trtr.1225.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]) to integrate iPads into literacy instruction. Analysis revealed two findings related to using the TIPC to plan instruction: (a) Though the TIPC provides a structured approach to planning that guides teachers in using their Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), the preservice teachers still used a technocentric approach to planning instruction and did not fully engage in all elements of the planning cycle; (2) even with the structured planning approach, preservice teachers had difficulty aligning their lesson content with the instructional goals of the lesson; and (3) preservice teachers rely on recommendations from their university classes when selecting apps to use in instruction, rather than independently seeking out resources. The implications of this research suggest the need to support preservice teachers in developing a professional learning network; the importance of a structured approach to planning technology integration to support preservice teachers; and considerations for helping preservice teachers develop their TPACK. (Keywords: Common Core State Standards, digital technology, instructional planning, TPACK, technology integration)     

Improving quick writing performance of middle-school struggling learners

Writing performanceperformance of 279 seventh- and eighth-grade students in four urban charter schools was evaluated in comparison group pretest/posttest quasi-experimental study. Thirty-three students, identified by cut scores on a standardized fluency measure, received supplemental one-to-one Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction for persuasive quick writing. Fifty-one students with scores below the cut participated as an eligible non-treatment comparison; 195 students with scores above the cut participated as a non-eligible comparison group. All students’ written responses were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results of repeated measures analysis indicated that students in treatment (additional instruction time + SRSD + planned practice-testing) significantly improved quick writing performance after instruction when compared to pretest performance, and when compared to eligible comparison, with large effect sizes for number of persuasive elements and organizational quality and medium effects for persuasive quality. When compared to non-eligible comparison, students in treatment had significantly higher scores for organizational quality (large effects) and persuasive quality (small effects).     

Synergistic interaction of NaCl and Cd on growth and photosynthetic parameters in soybean genotypes differing in salinity tolerance

The effects of salinity(50 mmol/L NaCl) and Cd(1 μmol/L CdCl2) as sole and combined on growth and photosyn-thetic parameters were studied using two soybean genotypes,Huachun 18 and NGB.The concentrations of Cd2 ,Zn2 ,Ca2 ,Mg2 ,K and Na were also determined in seeds and pods.Huachun 18 suffered a more serious decrease than NGB in net photosynthetic rate(Pn) in the treatments of salinity stress alone and combined stress(NaCl Cd),showing that it is relatively sensitive to salinity.The decrease in Pn caused by salt stress in Huachun 18 was mainly due to the reduced total chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency(the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence,Fv/Fm),whereas the decease in NGB was mainly related to reduced stomatal conductance(Gs).The combined stress of both Na and Cd did not induce further decrease in photosynthesis and fluorescence in the two genotypes relative to salt or Cd stress alone.Greater change in the pod concentrations of Zn2 ,Ca2 ,Mg2 ,K and Na was detected under salt stress for Huachun 18 than for NGB.The results suggested that the interactive effect of NaCl-Cd on growth and nutrient uptake differs between the two soybean genotypes.     

L^p-estimates on a ratio involving a Bessel process

INTRODUCTION Throughout this paper, we shall work with a filtered complete probability space (?,F,(Ft),P) sat-isfying the usual conditions. Let B=(Bt)t≥0 be a stan-dard Brownian motion with B0=0. Denote by ú the set of all non-negative real numbers. Recall that a diffusion process X starting at x≥0 is called the square of a Bessel process of dimension δ>0 if d X t = δd t 2 | X t |d Bt , X 0= x, (1) Clearly, this equation has a unique non-negative strong solution X, i.e., …     

Sources of self-efficacy in mathematics: A validation study

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate items with which to assess A. Bandura’s (1997) theorized sources of self-efficacy among middle school mathematics students. Results from Phase 1 (N = 1111) were used to develop and refine items for subsequent use. In Phase 2 of the study (N = 824), a 39-item, four-factor exploratory model fit best. Items were revised to strengthen psychometric properties. In Phase 3 (N = 803), a 24-item, four-factor confirmatory factor model fit best. This final model was invariant across gender and ethnicity. Subscales correlated with self-efficacy, self-concept, mastery goals, and optimism. Results suggest that the sources scale is psychometrically sound and could be adapted for use in other domains.     

Points at Which Continuous Functions Have the Same Height

As an easy application of the intermediate value theorem, one can show that for any continuous function f: [0, 1] → ? with f (0) = f (1), there are points a, a + 1/2 both in [0, 1] such that f (a) = f (a + 1/2). In this note, we show that this property holds with 1/2 replaced by any number of the form 1/n for a positive integer n. More interestingly, we show that this is false for every number not of the form 1/n.     

An Analytic Study of the Professional Development Research in Early Childhood Education

Research Findings: The goal of this study was to examine empirical research on the design, delivery, and measurement of the effects of professional development (PD) for early childhood educators in order to provide insight into what the field has accomplished as well as suggest directions for future PD programs and research. Through the use of rigorous inclusion criteria outlined by S. M. Wilson, R. E. Floden, and J. Ferrini-Mundy (2001 Vu, J., Jeon, H. J., &; Howes, C. (2008). Formal education, credential, or both: Early childhood program classroom practices. Early Education &; Development, 19, 479–504.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), 73 studies were included and analyzed. On average, 25% (M = 12.68, SD = 9.99) of references in each study were specifically about PD. The majority of studies (n = 39) targeted some form of language and literacy instruction, whereas only 5 studies targeted math and 1 study targeted science. A total of 35 different delivery mechanisms were used to provide PD, with 40 studies including some form of coaching and 45 including training workshops. The studies used a wide range of methods to measure PD-related outcomes: 51% (n = 37) of studies examined changes in teacher practice, 18% (n = 13) measured changes in teachers’ knowledge, 40% (n = 29) measured changes in children’s learning, and 11% (n = 8) measured changes in children’s behavior. Practice or Policy: Based on the results of this study, there are 4 major ways in which PD for early childhood educators can be developed. Researchers and providers of PD should (a) continue to draw from multiple resources to inform PD implementation designs, (b) include more diversity in the content of instruction targeted by PD, (c) experiment with innovative formats for delivering PD, and (d) create better means of evaluating PD.     

The Study of Number Sense: Realistic Activities Integrated into Third-Grade Math Classes in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

The authors compared the performance of students who received integration of number sense activities in instruction with students who received instruction using regular mathematics textbooks. Two classes of third-grade students (N = 60) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Students in each group were given a pretest, post I test, and post II test, and were interviewed individually across 20 class periods of intervention. Results showed that the performance of the students in the experimental group was significantly higher than those in the control group. The interview data also showed that the students in the experimental group performed better than students in the control group in flexible and effective ways to use number sense.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of remedial reading courses at community colleges

Limited research is available on the effectiveness of remedial college courses. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of two instructional approaches for developmental reading courses at a community college in the southwestern United States. The instructional approaches were traditional textbook-based instruction and strategic-reading instruction. The sample consisted of 64 participants. Half (n = 32) of the participants were in the control group (n = 32) and received traditional textbook-based instruction; the other half (n = 32) were in the experimental group and received strategic-reading instruction. All participants completed the Nelson-Denny Reading Form G at the beginning of the semester and then again 12 weeks later, at the end of the semester. The data were then statistically analyzed to identify any relationships between the type of instruction and the differences between the students’ pretest and posttest scores. The null hypotheses for H1 and H2 were rejected because the results of the paired t tests indicated that both traditional textbook-based instruction and strategic-reading instruction have a statistically significant positive effect on students’ performance on the test. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to determine whether the pretest/posttest difference scores varied based on the type of instruction. The findings showed that both methods of instruction were equally effective in improving the reading comprehension skills of community college students in a developmental reading course. Based on the findings, community college leaders are encouraged to assess the effectiveness of the instructional methods used in developmental courses to ensure at-risk community college students are receiving the most beneficial instruction.     

Assessing 10- to 11-year-old children’s performance and misconceptions in number sense using a four-tier diagnostic test

Background: Number sense is a key topic in mathematics education, and the identification of children’s misconceptions about number is, therefore, important. Information about students’ serious misconceptions can be quite significant for teachers, allowing them to change their teaching plans to help children overcome these misconceptions. In science education, interest in children’s alternative conceptions has led to the development of three- and four-tier tests that not only assess children’s understandings and misconceptions, but also examine children’s confidence in their responses. However, there are few such tests related to mathematical content, especially in studies of number sense.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate children’s performance and misconceptions with respect to number sense via a four-tier diagnostic test (Answer Tier → Confidence rating for Answer Tier → Reason Tier → Confidence rating for Reason Tier).

Design and method: A total of 195 fifth graders (10–11 years old) from Taiwan participated in this study. The four-tier test was web-based and contained 40 items across five components of number sense.

Findings: The results show that (1) students’ mean confidence rating for the answer tier was significantly higher than for the reason tier; (2) an average of 68% of students tended to have equal confidence ratings in both answer and reason tiers; (3) students who chose correct answers or reasons had higher mean confidence ratings in most items (36 out of 40) than those who did not; and (4) 16 misconceptions were identified and most of them were at a strong level.

Conclusion: The four-tier test was able to identify several misconceptions in both the answer and reason tier and provide information about the confidence levels. By using such information, teachers may be better positioned to understand the nature of learners’ misconceptions about number sense and therefore support their pupils’ progress in mathematics.     

Supporting Communication in a Collaborative Discovery Learning Environment: the Effect of Instruction

We present a study on the effect of instruction on collaboration in a collaborative discovery learning environment. The instruction we used, called RIDE, is built upon four principles identified in the literature on collaborative processes: Respect, Intelligent collaboration, Deciding together, and Encouraging. In an experimental study, a group of learners (ages 15–17) receiving this instruction was compared to a control group. The learners worked in dyads on separate computers in a shared discovery learning environment in the physics domain of collisions, communicating through a chat channel. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the logged actions in the learning environment and the chat protocols showed that the RIDE instruction can lead to more constructive communication, and improved discovery learning activities, as expected, although no direct effect on discovery learning results was found. This study shows the benefits of providing instruction on effective communication and the learning process in a collaborative discovery learning situation.